Hydraulic Bi-Directional Rotary Isolation Valve

ABSTRACT

A valve having a sealing surface that is rotated 90 degrees on trunnions that move along a track is provided. A sleeve that moves into position to protect the valve mechanism when the valve is in an open position is provided. A second sleeve locks the sealing element of the valve in place in the closed position. The valve may be used during drilling of wells to prevent flow in casing when the drill pipe and bit are raised above the valve.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a valve that may be used in wells duringdrilling operations or may be used in any application requiring a valvehaving a large bore compared with its outside diameter. Moreparticularly, a hydraulically operated valve having a sleeve to protectthe valve element when open and a mechanism for locking the valve closedis provided.

2. Description of Related Art

Drilling of wells in an underbalanced or balanced pressure condition haswell-known advantages. In this condition, pressure in the formationbeing drilled is equal to or greater than pressure in the wellbore. Whenthere is a need to withdraw the drill pipe from the well, pressure inthe wellbore must be controlled to prevent influx of fluids from aformation into the wellbore. The usual remedy of preventing influx offluid from a formation—by increasing fluid density in the wellbore—maynegate the advantages of balanced or underbalanced drilling. Therefore,downhole valves have been developed to isolate fluid pressure below thevalve. They have been variously called “Downhole Deployment Valves”(DDV) or “Downhole Isolation Valves” (DIV). Technical literatureincludes reports of the usage of such valves in Under-Balanced Drilling(UBD) For example, SPE 77240-MS, “Downhole Deployment Valve AddressesProblems Associated with Tripping Drill Pipe During UnderbalancedDrilling Operations,” S. Herbal et al, 2002, described uses of suchvalves in industry. The DDV or DIV as a tool in the broad area of“Managed Pressure Drilling” can be generally surmised from the surveylecture “Managed Pressure Drilling,” by D. Hannagan, SPE 112803, 2007.There it is listed under “Other Tools” and called a “Downhole CasingIsolation Valve—(DCIV)” or “Downhole Deployment Valve.” Services andproducts for providing Managed Pressure Drilling have beencommercialized by AtBalance of Houston, Tex., Weatherford International,Inc. of Houston, Tex. and other companies.

A DCIV is placed in a casing at a selected depth, considering conditionsthat may be encountered in drilling the well. The valve is normallyplaced in an intermediate casing string, and the effective OutsideDiameter (OD) of the valve is limited by the Inside Diameter (ID) of thesurface casing through which it must pass. For example, in a 7-inchintermediate casing, the valve preferably will be a full-opening (have abore at least equal to the ID of the 7-inch casing, about 6.276 inch, orat least be as large as the drill bit to be used) and must pass throughthe drift diameter of the surface casing, which may be 8.5 inches.Therefore, the valve must be designed to severely limit the thickness ofthe valve body while being large enough for a bit to pass through.

A DCIV is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,663. A flapper valve isillustrated, but other types of valves, such as ball valves or otherrotary valves are disclosed. The valves may be operated hydraulically orby biasing means (e.g., springs). U.S. Pat. No. 6,167,974 discloses aflapper-type DCIV valve that is operated by a shifting device that iscarried on a drill bit and deposited in the valve when the drill stringis tripped out of the well.

Prior art valves relying on a flapper mechanism have been commerciallysuccessful, but improvements in reliability and absence of leakage areneeded. A rotary valve having minimum difference between outsidediameter and inside diameter is needed. The ability of the valve to sealwith differential pressure in two directions is also preferred.

It should be understood that valves designed for downhole isolation mayalso be used for a variety of purposes. In wells, there may be a need toopen or close a valve to control pressure near the bottom of the wellwhen the hydrostatic pressure of fluid in the well is higher thandesired, or there may be a need to isolate pressure in a well boredrilled from another well bore. In industry, valves requiring a minimumof wall thickness between the interior passage through the valve and theexterior surface of the valve may be needed for a variety ofapplications, such as: conventional products pipelines; piping in plantssuch as power plants, refineries or chemical plants; marineinstallations; biomedical devices and other devices where a thin-wall,stemless valve that can be operated by remote hydraulic pressure isneeded.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

A hydraulically activated, bi-directional (will isolate fluid pressurein either direction), rotary- and linear-motion valve is disclosed,referred to herein as the HBRL Valve. The valve element is mounted ontrunnions. As the trunnions move along a track, the valve element isrotated from a position parallel to the axis of the bore of the valve(open) to a position perpendicular to the axis of the bore (closing).Further motion along the track seats the valve element. The trunnionsare moved by force from a sleeve moving in response to hydraulicpressure. A second sleeve is moved to protect the valve mechanism whenthe valve is open. After closing, the valve is locked into position toisolate fluid pressure differential across the valve in eitherdirection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a sketch of a well having a hydraulically operated HBRL valveused as a DCIV in an intermediate casing.

FIGS. 2 a-2 f illustrate the valve disclosed herein in the openposition.

FIGS. 3 a-3 f illustrate the valve disclosed herein in the closedposition.

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of the “Wedgelock” valve assembly in the openposition.

FIG. 5 is a detailed view of the Wedgelock valve assembly when the“Wedgelock” is moved toward the closed position but is not rotated.

FIG. 6 is a detailed view of the Wedgelock assembly when the Wedgelockhas partially rotated into a closing position.

FIG. 7 is a detailed view of the Wedgelock assembly when the valve is inthe closed position.

FIG. 8 is an end-view of a guide rail for the trunnion of the Wedgelock.

FIG. 9 is an elevation view of a guide rail for the trunnion of theWedgelock.

FIG. 10 is an elevation view of a trunnion for the valve from a firstdirection.

FIG. 11 is a side view of a trunnion adapted to move in a guide rail.

FIG. 12 is a cross-section view of a trunnion as indicated in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is an isometric view of the control arm of the Wedgelockassembly.

FIG. 14 is an elevation view of the Wedgelock with the trunnion.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view along the axis of the Wedgelock valveassembly as indicated in FIG. 3 d.

FIG. 16 is an isometric view of a split ring of the valve assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates well 10 that is being drilled. Surface casing 12 hasbeen placed in the well. Intermediate casing 14, containing HBRL(Hydraulic Bidirectional Rotary-Linear) valve 20, used as a DownholeCasing Isolation Valve (DCIV), has also been placed in the well. Insidediameter 21 of HBRL valve 20 must be large enough to allow passage ofbit 16 on drill pipe 15. The HBRL valve disclosed here is adapted toallow less difference in diameter between the inside diameter of valve20 and the inside diameter of casing 14 than is allowed by downholeisolation valves cited in the references disclosed above. Hydrauliclines in bundle 19 are connected between HBRL valve 20 and a hydraulicpressure control system at a selected location (not shown).

The elongated HBRL valve assembly is illustrated in sectional views 2a-2 f and 3 a-3 f. In FIG. 2, the valve is in the open position and inFIG. 3 it is in the closed position. Lines dividing the tools intosegments from uphole to downhole are labeled as lines A thru E at thebottom and top of each figure a through f. Because some parts of thevalve assembly extend over multiple drawings, operation of the valve maybe better understood if drawings of FIGS. 2 a-f and FIGS. 3 a-f are laidend-to-end according to the dividing lines.

Referring to FIG. 2 a, upper connection housing 40 is shown. Threads onupper connection housing 40 are adapted for joining to casing in whichthe HBRL valve 20 is to be employed. When the HBRL valve 20 is in aclosed position, the top of protective sleeve 42 moves to within theupper connection housing, as shown in FIG. 3 a.

In FIGS. 2 b and 3 b, upper connection housing 40 is joined to hydraulicconnection housing 44. This joining may be by a threaded connection, asshown. Hydraulic connection housing 44 contains port A and port B. Theseports are adapted for connection to hydraulic lines shown bundledtogether as 19 in FIG. 1. Protective sleeve 42 is disposed toward thelower or downhole end of the valve assembly in FIG. 2 b. Protectivesleeve 42 covers the “Wedgelock” valve element when in the openposition, as will be shown in more detail below. (Wedgelock is used toidentify the valve element. It may be formed by machining two curvedsurfaces from round stock, the surfaces being separated by the selectedthickness of the valve element to form a “saddle-like” shape. Thethickness is selected according to differential pressure expected acrossthe valve.) In FIG. 3 b, protective sleeve 42 is disposed toward theuphole direction. Sleeve 42 may be moved downhole by application ofhydraulic pressure through port B across o-ring seal 42A, as shown inFIG. 3 b.

Referring to FIGS. 2 c and 3 c, the joining of hydraulic connectionhousing 44 and coupling housing 48 is shown. This joining may be by athreaded connection. Hydraulic conduits from port A and port B extendthrough these housings. In FIG. 3 c, showing the valve in the closedposition, protective sleeve 42 extends to just uphole from the Wedgelockassembly, which will be shown below, and in FIG. 2 c protective sleeve42 extends through the figure and into the lower segment of the tool, soas to cover the Wedgelock assembly when it is in the open position. Alsoin FIGS. 2 c and 3 c, coupling housing 48 is shown joined to valve seathousing 50. Valve seat housing 50 also provides hydraulic conduitsconnected to port A and port B. Relief valve 52 may be provided in valveseat housing 50. The function of relief valve 52 is to allow fluid topass through HBRL valve 20 if pressure below the HBRL valve exceeds aselected value.

Upper split ring 46 is also provided in coupling housing 48. Thefunction of split ring 46 will be described below.

Referring to FIGS. 2 d and 3 d, the joining of valve seat housing 50 andWedgelock assembly housing 54, the joining of Wedgelock assembly housing54 and coupling housing 68, and the joining of coupling housing 68 andlower housing 72 are shown. These joinings may be by a threadedconnection. Wedgelock assembly housing 54 and coupling housing 68 alsoprovide hydraulic conduits through the housings, as shown. FIG. 2 dshows that protective sleeve 42 extends through to a downhole locationcovering cam assembly 58 when the valve is in an open position.Protective sleeve 42 is displaced to an uphole position when the valveis closed, as shown by its absence in FIG. 3 d. Valve seat 51, shown inFIG. 2 d, is adapted for sealing on the Wedgelock valve element and mayprovide for a bi-directional metal-to-metal seal. Alternatively, valveseat 51 may provide polymeric sealing material, as is known in the art.Cam assembly 58 will be described in more detail below. Wedgelocklocking sleeve 74 is displaced uphole in FIG. 3 d, compared with FIG. 2d, by hydraulic pressure as described below. Cam locking fingers 67 areprovided on cam assembly 58, which is engaged with cam finger unlockinggrooves 55 a on Wedgelock locking sleeve 74, as shown in FIG. 2 d.Wedgelock locking sleeve 74 is displaced uphole in FIG. 3 d by hydraulicpressure until cam locking fingers 67 engage with cam finger lockinggroove 55 b on Wedgelock locking sleeve 74. Lower split ring 66 isprovided in a groove in locking coupling housing 68. The function oflower split ring 66 will be described below.

Referring to FIGS. 2 e and 3 e, Wedgelock locking sleeve 74 is drivenuphole by hydraulic pressure across o-ring 75. Finger locking sleeve 70is displaced with Wedgelock locking sleeve 74. Movement uphole continuesuntil o-ring 75 reaches by-pass groove 76. At this time movement ofWedgelock locking sleeve 74 ceases and movement of finger locking sleeve70 continues upward, driven by hydraulic pressure, until the uphole endof finger locking sleeve 70 locks over locking fingers 71 of couplinghousing 68 as shown in FIGS. 2 e and 3 e. The distance from the initialposition of o-ring 75 to by-pass groove 76 may be the same as thedistance from finger locking groove 77 on Wedgelock locking sleeve 74 tothe lower end of locking fingers 71.

FIGS. 2 f and 3 f show lower housing 72 with threads adapted to joiningwith the casing. Wedgelock locking sleeve 74 is shown in FIG. 2 f in itsdownhole position when the valve assembly is open.

FIG. 4 shows a detail drawing of cam assembly 58 when the valve is open.Cam assembly 58 comprises control arm 64, trunnions 62, guide rails 60and pivot point 61. To close the valve, trunnion 62 is moved uphole bycam assembly 58, causing control arm 64 to pivot as trunnion 62 movesalong guide rails 60. Wedgelock 56 is still in a completely openposition, oriented parallel to the axis to the valve. In FIG. 5,trunnion 62 has moved along guide rails 60 to pivot point 61. Trunnion62 is designed to interact with pivot point 61 so as to cause rotationof Wedgelock 56. In FIG. 6 partial rotation of Wedgelock 56 has occurredand in FIG. 7 a 90° rotation of Wedgelock 56 has occurred and it is nowin an orientation to seat on valve seat 51. Continued movement ofWedgelock 56 towards the seating position is made possible by linearmovement of trunnion 62 along guide rails 60.

FIG. 8 is a cross-section view of guide rail 60. It is adapted to bewelded or otherwise fastened to the inside diameter of Wedgelockassembly housing 54. Alternately, guide rail 60 can be an intrinsic partof the Wedgelock assembly housing 54. Guide rails 60 are adapted toreceive trunnions 62. One embodiment of interlocking surfaces isillustrated in FIG. 15, which is the cross-section view identified inFIG. 3 d. It should be understood that alternative guide rail and camassemblies may be used. Trunnions 62 are attached to Wedgelock 56, whichis the valve seating element as shown in FIG. 14. When Wedgelock 56 isused in casing, it is preferably designed to withstand differentialpressure expected in a well in both directions. Preferably the sealingsurface of Wedgelock 56 is metal, but, alternatively, polymeric valveseats such as known in industry may be used.

FIG. 8 shows a cross-section view of guide rails 60. FIG. 9 shows anelevation view of guide rails 60, which includes pivot point 61, adaptedto interact with a trunnion to cause rotation. FIG. 10 shows a view ofone embodiment of a trunnion and guide. FIG. 11 shows a side view oftrunnion 62 and guide 63. The cross-section indicated in FIG. 11 isshown in FIG. 12. Pivot point contact 63 a on guide 63 is adapted tocontact guide rail 60 at pivot point 61 so as to rotate Wedgelock 56into an orientation for seating.

FIG. 13 shows an isometric view of control arm 64, having opening 64 aadapted to receive trunnion 62.

FIG. 14 shows Wedgelock 56 having trunnions 62 and valve seating area57. Alternatively, Wedgelock 56 can be comprised of one or multiplesectional parts mounted on a plurality of trunnions around the outershell of the valve element. Such arrangement and others will not changethe functionality of HBRL valve 20.

FIG. 16 shows an isometric view of upper split ring 46. Upper and lowersplit rings are used for functions to be described below.

To move HBRL valve 20 from an open position to a closed position afterdrill bit 16 (FIG. 1) is raised to a location above the valve, hydraulicpressure is applied to port A through a hydraulic line in bundle 19 asshown in FIG. 1. The first operation in the sequence of closing isapplication of hydraulic pressure to port A, which shifts protectivesleeve 42 until it shoulder limits on hydraulic connection housing 44 atshoulder 43. This movement of protective sleeve 42 causes engagementwith upper split ring 46, which is positioned in a groove on couplinghousing 48. Hydraulic pressure at port A is then further increased untilit overcomes the force of lower split ring 66 in locking couplinghousing 68. When lower split ring 66 disengages, Wedgelock lockingsleeve 74 moves uphole. Continuing uphole, Wedgelock locking sleeve 74engages cam assembly 58 at cam finger unlocking groove 55A with lockingfingers 67. Cam assembly 58 moves Wedgelock 56 uphole until it hasseated in valve seat 51. Rotation of Wedgelock 56 by 90° occurs as camassembly 58 moves uphole, as described in FIGS. 4 thru 7. At this pointthe valve is seated but not locked in position. Hydraulic pressure isthen increased again at port A and it begins to push Wedgelock lockingsleeve 74 uphole locking finger 67 disengaging the cam finger unlockinggroove 55A causing linear movement at the Wedgelock locking sleeve 74until it is seated against the back side of Wedgelock 56, at which timelocking fingers 67 engage cam finger locking groove 55B At thislocation, o-ring 75 on Wedgelock locking sleeve 74 will be located atfluid by-pass grooves 76 of lower housing 72. Fluid will flow aroundo-ring 75 and shift finger locking sleeve 70 onto locking fingers 71 ofcoupling housing 68. At this point the valve is fully seated and locked.

To operate HBRL valve 20 from a closed position to an open position,hydraulic pressure is applied to port B on hydraulic connection housing44. Pressure is applied to the opposite side of finger locking sleeve 70until it unlocks from coupling housing 68 and begins to move downhole.Finger locking sleeve 70 will continue movement until it has reachedshoulder limit 78 on Wedgelock locking sleeve 74. Both pieces will thenmove simultaneously downhole. Still engaged with Wedgelock lockingsleeve 74, cam assembly 58 disengages from its seated position and alsomoves downhole until cam assembly 58 reaches shoulder limit 69 oncoupling housing 68. Lower snap ring 66 will reengage at this point.Pressure is increased further until protective sleeve 42 overcomes theforce of upper split ring 46. Protective sleeve 42 then shifts downholeuntil it reaches shoulder limit 41 against the ID of coupling housing48. At this time the valve is fully opened and Wedgelock 56 is coveredby protective sleeve 42.

When the HBRL valve is used in other applications, it will normally beadapted to operate in confined spaces where the small difference betweenoutside and inside dimensions of the valve is important. The differenceachievable with the HBRL valve is dependent on pressure requirements forthe valve. When used as a DCIV, as shown in FIG. 1, the valve may beconstructed to withstand thousands of psi of differential pressure andstill provide an inside diameter of 6.276 inches and an outside diameterof 8.5 inches.

Although the present invention has been described with respect tospecific details, it is not intended that such details should beregarded as limitations on the scope of the invention, except as and tothe extent that they are included in the accompanying claims.

1. A valve for operation in a tube, comprising: a housing adapted forjoining to the tube: a valve element having a curved surface for sealingand a pair of trunnions on the valve element, each of the trunnionshaving a guiding element attached thereto; a pair of tracks adapted toreceive the guiding element attached to the trunnions, each of thetracks having a pivot point for rotating the orientation of the valveelement; a valve seating surface; a protective sleeve adapted to moveover the valve element when it is in an open position; and a lockingdevice for locking the valve element in a closed position.
 2. The valveof claim 1 wherein the tube may be a casing to be placed in a well. 3.The valve of claim 1 wherein the curved surface of the valve element isformed from a metal.
 4. The valve of claim 1 wherein the curved surfaceof the valve element is formed from a polymeric material.
 5. The valveof claim 1 further comprising a bypass valve to vent excess pressureacross the valve.